Mason McCulloch
Commander Mason Anthony McCulloch has served as CO of the NX-01 Gryphons since May 2169. Background The happiest day of the Mayor of Vancouver’s life was when his son was born on June 5th, 2137. Tony and Elsie were in their mid-thirties when Mason blessed their family. Growing up in Vancouver, Mason’s life was one like many who grew up in the Great North. Canada’s lush outdoors and pride-filled people gave him a sense for adventure and love for BC. Proud to be Canadian, his dream (accompanied by talent) was to be a professional NHL player when he grew up. All throughout primary and secondary school he played on teams (and still does so today on weekends or shore leave when he can). Both parents took large interest in his schooling and skating life, supporting his play as long as he maintained a “B” average or above. Confident with the whole wide world ahead of him, Mason felt there was nothing he couldn’t do. After graduating from primary, in his year book, he was voted most likely to succeed. Mason hoped he would be more than successful. He wanted to be famous. Destruction of Earth Dreams of ice hockey were destroyed along with near the entire human race December 2153. The destruction of Earth and most of its civilization was devastating to all and affected everyone different. For Tony, he concentrated on his family’s survival off planet, using every last political connection. For 16 year old Mason, it was confusing and he naturally fell into the role of taking care of his mother. Elsie had an entirely different reaction. With her family and friends killed, she withdrew into herself. A fate that she never quite recovered from. Having no home or off world connections, the McCullochs were directed to Andoria where they and other survivors were allowed sanctuary. Unable to obtain any sort of political position, the cold planet offered little desired work for Tony but they remained for two years until an appealing shipyard operations opportunity opened up on newly founded earth colony Gaia. With no one else to turn to, Tony engaged his son over beers and would talk to Mason man to man. The teen’s eyes were opened to the detailed reality of his father’s marriage, his mother’s unexpected depression and her other recluse behaviors. Having witnessed the deterioration himself for the past two years, along with his dad’s sadness at being ‘stuck’, the experience gave Mason a very solid lesson of marriage: Finality. Starfleet Career Gaia offered a new home full of livable opportunity in 2155. Mason enlisted like most young men his age in early Starfleet, his preference flight school (having been exposed to Andorian vessels for the last two years). He was trained by pilot Aaron Tobin and was impressed immediately with his instructor’s skills and talent. Dubbed ‘Maxy’ by Tobin, his callsign was used so much, his first name became lost. Love at first flight, Mason couldn’t imagine doing anything but fly personal shuttles, starships and troop transports. Little did he know that the Xindi who destroyed Earth would lead to Andorians donating their Gryphon Class fighters in 2165 and a new addiction was born. After training, his first official trial run was during the Klingon attack on Gaia, as Mason had proven himself quite the helmsmen to date. Known to remain calm in the face of trauma, coupled with being an excellent shot, Maxy rose in rank. In September 2166 he began his leadership as Grifter XO on the SS Endeavor. Gryphons are his life and Mason loves being a fighter jock. The speed unlike anything else. The Great War (2166 - 2169) The year 2166 was as memorable as the destruction of Earth 14 years prior when the Xindi launched their second largest attack. Azati Prime was the final battle in the Great War that was the turning point for the humans. Starships and Gryphon fighters took to the stars in the greatest historical space encounter of all time. SS Endeavor’s squadron was one among many that took a beating in the midst of the fray and Mason saw first hand twenty-nine of thirty starships destroyed. One by one, his teammates were dying around him and there was little he could do but listen to the panic of his CO before the squadron leader crashed head-on with a Xindi fighter. Now in charge, Mason kept his head until the second to last of his crew were blown to bits, with his Gryphon being next. Red alert emergency sensors blinked to scream that his ship was targeted by solid missile lock. With only seconds to react, he ejected into space and his fighter blew behind him, sending Mason’s body hurling to tumble crash into various parts of the destroyed Endeavor. Maxy slammed into the side of a starship, oncoming heavy debris crushed his leg to levels of unbearable agony. He remembered nothing after that impact. Dead Man Walking It was said Lieutenant Commander McCulloch’s floating body gave off faint life signs when the last of the battle ended. Like many war heroes, he was taken back to Gaia where his chance of survival was guestimated at twenty percent. Once planetside, the rate increased to thirty, putting pilot Maxy on the Top 100 List of those not expected to make it through the first week. Over the course of three emergency surgeries, his entire left foot was reconstructed, all lower left knee and leg bones were replaced by light weight metal, and his upper right ribs were also replaced. While under Stark's care on Gaia, Maxy joked that the explosion tossed his body around so much, he was equally balanced on both sides with metal. Dubbed ‘The Walking Corpse’, the praise from the nursing staff and visits from his family helped him fight strong (although often during rehab he was humbled from stumbling, pain so disabling he had to be talked back to standing and forced to finish his five meter walk). Encouraged further by visits from an ex-girlfriend, by February 2169, Mason began to feel almost normal and was discharged to his parents’ home on Gaia. Screwed Throughout his career there was one constant with Mason: He loved women. Loved them to the point of hating to disappoint those he dated and loved them so much he couldn’t turn down others of interest to him, when they pursued. This caused a lot of trouble and cost him two abortions during his tenure in Starfleet (although he learned about one after the fact). Lessons he vowed never to repeat, he tried not to break hearts but manages somehow to forget past hurt he’s caused others while in the moment. Bethany Rogers was his girlfriend during flight school but distance ended their relationship just shy of one year. After the war, it was she who came to visit him in the hospital and during his home rehab. They began to date casually again until after his return to the NX-01 as newly promoted Commander and CO of the Enterprise Gryphon squad. Bethany insisted on exclusive dating and Mason did his best to remain faithful, however, no saint, he fell below the mark with various indiscretions. After a year, fearing the worst, Bethany gave Mason the ultimatum of a marriage proposal or The End and within the following month, they were engaged. No sooner did Bethany and he come down from celebratory sex of their engagement that Maxy felt the creeping familiarity of finality sinking in. Chalking it up as old fears, he convinced himself that he was thirty-three, a different man after the Great War and it was time to settle down. He tried to tell himself that but too many panic attacks over the next forty days caused the CO pilot to realize he couldn’t do it. His wandering eyes continued to think on those with whom he missed out and Maxy purposefully contacted one past female in particular during a trip planetside. Knowing he was home, Bethany let herself into his room only to discover that Mason was in bed with another woman. Putting it lightly, she broke off the engagement and has not spoken to him since. Personality A very likable, outgoing and happy fellow, McCulloch loves to tease and is one who gives as good as he gets. As CO, he’s a hardass when the occasion calls for it but typically he and his crewmates are a tight knit family. Laughter goes a longer way although it is well known by all to not call him ‘Maxipadd’ to his face. The gloves come off. Ribbed at times, he uncomfortably laughs when people point out his ‘serious’ period with Bethany or anyone else he’s been with for longer than a few months. A true professional, Maxy's downfall is not dealing well with long term stress as he tends to internalize, despite looking for ways to remain jovial. To blow off steam he loves watching sports (die hard Yankees fan, even though they no longer exist) and looks for opportunities to fly to cold planets to ice skate and play mock hockey as if he were a Vancouver Canuck. At the end of any given day, he would have loved to have been that NHL star. Statistics AGE: '''34 '''HEIGHT: 6’ 1” HAIR: Light Brown EYES: Light Blue MARKINGS: '6 scars on his face ''(2 deep above each eyebrow and one bridge nose) :: Various scars on left leg/foot & right ribcage : '''Family: : : Father – Tony : Mother – Elsie : : Education: : : Early Starfleet Academy (2155 – 2159) – Flight concentration : 2165 – Retrained on newly procured Andorian Gryphon Fighters : Airmen Specialization: Strategic under Stress – short range single photon sniper shots CALLSIGN: Maxy